Key events
32nd over: Bangladesh 118-4 (Mostary 18, Shorna 1)
Bangladesh seem to realise they need to increase their run rate and Mostary starts with a couple of big swings, but Sutherland’s variations in pace are keeping her guessing and she can’t connect. But when Sutherland bowls the short ball, she’s ready for it. A mistimed pull shot still manages to get to the boundary. Then Sutherland bowls a wider delivery and Mostary reaches for it and cuts it for another four. A much better over from Bangladesh. Drinks are on the field now.
31st over: Bangladesh 109-4 (Mostary 9, Shorna 1)
Another near mix up to start the over, with Shorna darting down the pitch, but Sharmin sends her back. Next ball, King has a big appeal for LBW, but the umpire shakes her head. On replay we see that there was an outside edge on it and has hit Healy’s gloves and then fallen short of Mooney at first slip. Another maiden for King.
30th over: Bangladesh 109-4 (Mostary 9, Shorna 1)
Sutherland starts her sixth over with a dot to Shorna, who is yet to get off the mark. Sutherland bowls another wide – very odd for her to miss her line so often in a game. Everyone is waiting for Shorna to tee off, after she hit the second fastest fifty of the tournament against South Africa, but when she eventually gets off the mark, it’s just with a single.
29th over: Bangladesh 107-4 (Mostary 9, Shorna 0)
Mostary pushes the ball away and immediately takes off for a single, but Shorna isn’t keen and sends her straight back – a sensible decision I’d say. King is finding some good turn in this pitch and Mostary can’t do much but defend at the moment, just waiting for an opportunity if King misses her length. But she doesn’t give her any opportunities this over, it’s a maiden.
28th over: Bangladesh 107-4 (Mostary 9, Shorna 0)
Sutherland starts her over with an uncharacteristic wide, just losing her line and floating it down leg side. Mostary is on strike, but I’m very keen to see what Shorna can do, as she has been electric this tournament so far. Sutherland gives away another wide – this time going outside the wide line on the off side. Mostary finds a single with a back foot shot and we get Shorna on strike. We nearly don’t get to see very much of Shorna at all, as Sutherland gets her top edging and Healy makes a desperate dive for the catch, but she can’t quite hold on to it. A lot going on at the moment, don’t go anywhere!
27th over: Bangladesh 104-4 (Mostary 8, Shorna 0)
King bowls her sixth consecutive over and takes her time getting her field set to Mostary, who tries to play a forward defence to start the over, but King beats the bat. King is floating some nice deliveries up above the batters’ eyeline and makes it difficult for them to get on top of the bowling. They score a run courtesy of a Litchfield misfield and then King finishes off the over with a masterful piece of bowling to get Nigar stumped.
WICKET! Nigar st Healy b King 12 (Bangladesh 104-4)
King weaves a web with plenty of variation throughout the over and eventually lures Nigar out of her crease, where Healy is waiting to pounce on the ball and whip the bails off.
26th over: Bangladesh 103-3 (Mostary 7, Nigar 12)
Sutherland is back into the attack, bringing back some pace and looking to break this partnership before it gets too well established. Nigar shows some intent from the first ball, but doesn’t score from it. Sutherland keeps on hitting that good line and length and it’s not until the fourth ball of the over that Nigar can find a single to rotate the strike. Mostary goes after the short ball – she mistimes it, but it lands safely and she gets herself off strike.
25th over: Bangladesh 101-3 (Mostary 6, Nigar 11)
Nigar goes for the sweep to start the over – it’s played uppishly, but falls safely. Then Mostary cuts one over to the other side, which sparks cries of “catch it” but it finds the gap and trickles down to deep cover for a single. Bangladesh bring up the 100 runs, a solid start from them.
24th over: Bangladesh 98-3 (Mostary 5, Nigar 9)
The spin onslaught continues with another over from Gardner. There’s a bit of innovation from Nigar, with a reverse sweep coming into her game, but she can’t score from it. Eventually she finds some runs with a good drive against a wider ball.
23rd over: Bangladesh 95-3 (Mostary 5, Nigar 6)
Bangladesh continue to find runs through the slips. It’s not the safest way to score, but they’re finding a way through at the moment. This time it’s just byes, but they all count towards the total. A productive over from Bangladesh from King’s bowling, with nine runs coming from it.
22nd over: Bangladesh 86-3 (Mostary 1, Nigar 4)
Nigar on strike to Gardner to start this over. These batters are showing so much patience. Jhelik was prepared to throw caution to the wind at times – and did it one too many times just as she was building some momentum. And just as I’m praising their patience, Sharmin decides to go after one and loses her wicket. Mostary comes to the crease and there’s almost a run out, but Schutt can’t quite get the direct hit and the batters make their ground.
WICKET! Sharmin c Sutherland b Gardner 19 (Bangladesh 84-3)
Again Bangladesh are caught out by the tall fielders sitting on the circle. Sharmin tries to push one up and over mid on, but Sutherland is there to take an easy catch.
21st over: Bangladesh 82-2 (Sharmin 19, Nigar 3)
King continues and bowls a stunning delivery on the second ball of the over, that bounces on the leg side and turns back to just miss off stump. Unfortunately the next ball doesn’t turn and it catches Healy off guard, getting past her and down to the boundary for four wides.
20th over: Bangladesh 76-2 (Sharmin 19, Nigar 2)
Gardner continues for her fifth over today, after taking that important wicket of Jhelik in her last over. After a couple of loose overs to start her spell, she has tightened her line up now and they are finding it more difficult to score from her. Nigar brings out the sweep shot, which she plays well down towards the boundary, but it’s cut off for just a single.
19th over: Bangladesh 74-2 (Sharmin 18, Nigar 1)
King continues and Nigar looks to get off strike, but Sharmin wisely sends her back. Nigar plays the next few balls defensively. King is putting the ball on a good length and it’s a maiden from her.
18th over: Bangladesh 74-2 (Sharmin 18, Nigar 1)
We’ve got spin from both ends now, with Gardner coming back from the other end, replacing Sutherland. Jhelik sees an opportunity on the second ball and moves her feet down the pitch and drives it straight down the ground past long off for four. She pushes her luck trying to slog sweep the next ball over McGrath at midwicket and loses her wicket, bringing the captain to the crease.
WICKET! Jhelik c McGrath b Gardner 44 (Bangladesh 73-2)
A good innings from Jhelik, but she goes after one too many and can’t get the ball up and over the tall frame of McGrath.
17th over: Bangladesh 69-1 (Sharmin 18, Jhelik 40)
Alana King comes on for her first over. Gardner hasn’t been able to extract much turn at all from this pitch, but Kings turns the ball a lot more than her, so let’s see what she can conjure up here. Sharmin plays a lovely cut shot that pierces a gap in the field, but Schutt pounces on it before it can reach the boundary.
16th over: Bangladesh 67-1 (Sharmin 16, Jhelik 40)
We return from drinks with Sutherland resuming her spell. Her bowling is so consistent and just hits an uncomfortable line and length so often. Sharmin gets a pull shot away for a single to turn the strike over. Jhelik has looked quite carefree for a lot of her innings and willing to go after the bowlers, but against Sutherland she takes her time. And then just as I think she’s going to be cautious all the way through her over, she gets on the front foot and drives one away beautifully for her. The next ball isn’t quite so beautiful, she slashes at a good length ball and gets a top edge that flies over Healy’s head – but the result is the same, another four runs.
15th over: Bangladesh 58-1 (Sharmin 15, Jhelik 32)
Jhelik starts Gardner’s third over with a couple of nice drives, but can’t score from them. On the third ball she goes for the big swing with a slog sweep that’s slightly mistimed, but it falls safely just past the infielders. A good contest between bat and ball in this over. Drinks are on the field.
14th over: Bangladesh 56-1 (Sharmin 14, Jhelik 31)
Sutherland continues her spell where she left off, with a dot ball. She is hitting a great line and length and making it very difficult for them to score off her. She varies it up with a short ball, but Sharmin is ready for it, getting on top of the bounce and pulling it away for four. Those are the only runs from the over, but any runs scored from a Sutherland over are valuable.
13th over: Bangladesh 52-1 (Sharmin 10, Jhelik 31)
Gardner comes back for her second over and the batters immediately look more comfortable, with Sharmin able to work the first ball away for a single. Gardner gets Jhelik edging through the slips again, it falls just wide of Mooney, but it’s good signs from her. Sharmin plays a lovely steer past third for her second boundary, showing great awareness of the field to find those runs.
12th over: Bangladesh 45-1 (Sharmin 4, Jhelik 30)
Annabel Sutherland comes into the attack for her first over. She was Australia’s best bowler by far against India the other day, so they will be hoping she brings that form into this match. She has been bamboozling batters with her variations so far this tournament and she keeps Jhelik guessing with a couple of full and straight deliveries, before offering up a short ball. It’s a maiden for her – a good start to her day.
11th over: Bangladesh 45-1 (Sharmin 4, Jhelik 30)
We get our first look at spin for the match, with Gardner coming into the bowling attack. Jhelik starts the over with a boundary – Gardner doesn’t quite hit her line, just drifting the ball on to the legside and Jhelik flicks it away past fine leg and over the boundary. There’s almost a mix up when Jhelik takes off for a run in the middle of the over, but she backtracks quickly when Sharmin sends her back. It’s a good over for Bangladesh, let’s see if they can keep building from here.
10th over: Bangladesh 37-1 (Sharmin 4, Jhelik 23)
The first ball of the over sees an edge from Jhelik, which flies to Healy for a simple catch, but she puts it down. Brown looks to build the pressure on Jhelik and dots her up for the next few balls, but eventually she finds a gap through point for a single and Sharmin is on strike for the first time. She plays her first ball defensively, looking quite cramped by by Brown’s pace, but next ball she drives it beautifully down the ground for four to get off the mark – a really lovely shot.
9th over: Bangladesh 32-1 (Sharmin 0, Jhelik 22)
Schutt to Farzana again and more defensive play to start the over. I think Schutt much prefers bowling to Jhelik who is more likely to attack the bowling and offer up some chances. It seems difficult to even create dot ball pressure on Farzana, as she doesn’t seem to feel any. She’s happy to just play conservatively and wait for opportunities at the moment. Of course, just when I say all that, Farzana edges one to Mooney and she’s gone on the last ball of the over.
WICKET! Farzana c Mooney b Schutt 8 (Bangladesh 32-1)
It seemed like Jhelik was the player most likely to lose her wicket, but finally Schutt breaks through Farzana’s defence to get her edging to Mooney at first slip.
8th over: Bangladesh 32-0 (Farzana 8, Jhelik 22)
A better start to this over from Brown, Farzana continues to be watchful and play defensively. Brown bowls a short ball midway through the over, that’s ruled a wide by the umpire, but she won’t mind that too much, as Farzana looks very uncomfortable as she ducks under it. It’s probably worth giving away the wide to unsettle her.
7th over: Bangladesh 30-0 (Farzana 7, Jhelik 22)
Schutt resumes and Farzana again starts the over by rotating the strike and getting Jhelik back into the action. Schutt gets the toe of her bat, it flies to Litchfield at first slip, but bounces off her hand to give Jhelik another life. There’s plenty of frustration in the Australian team at not being able to put these chances to bed.
6th over: Bangladesh 29-0 (Farzana 6, Jhelik 22)
Farzana immediately gets off strike to start the over and then Brown again catches the edge of Jhelik’s bat, but again it flies in between first and second slip and down to the boundary for four. Australia tightens up its slips cordon, bringing Litchfield in to bolster it. It still looks quite spread out to my (very) amateur eyes, but let’s see if it brings them success. Jhelik decides not to edge it through the slips for her next boundary, instead working it on the front foot through deep midwicket.
5th over: Bangladesh 18-0 (Farzana 5, Jhelik 12)
Farzana gets her first look at the strike in a little while, continuing to offer up that strong front foot defence to Schutt’s bowling. She then plays a nice little flick off her pads down to fine leg that looks like it might go for four, but it’s again saved on the boundary, this time by Brown. It’s still quite cautious batting from Bangladesh here, they are keen to stay at the crease and aren’t being rattled by the dot balls accumulating.
4th over: Bangladesh 17-0 (Farzana 4, Jhelik 12)
Another over for Brown, she certainly created some chances in her first over. She starts with a dot, but on the next ball, Jhelik goes after it slashing and it flies straight up in the air. Fortunately for Jhelik, it falls safely and she continues on. She plays a lovely cover drive for two midway through the over, which Gardner saves with some good fielding at the deep cover boundary.
3rd over: Bangladesh 14-0 (Farzana 4, Jhelik 10)
Schutt continues her spell, bowling to Jhelik for the first time. Healy comes up to the stumps to keep this over, trying to unsettle Jhelik and keep her cramped up in her crease. It’s a good start to the over from Schutt, the swing is getting Jhelik playing and there are a few that just miss the edge of her bat. Eventually Schutt catches the edge of the bat, but it trickles in between first and second slip to the boundary for four.
2nd over: Bangladesh 9-0 (Farzana 4, Jhelik 5)
Brown opens from the other end and she’ll be keen to make up for that misfield with a strong over here. The first ball is quite wide, flirting with the wide line, but not quite pushing wide enough that she has to bowl it again. She adjusts her line and gets Jhelik playing at it – twice in a row it just misses her outside edge. Then she gets that edge she was chasing, but it falls just short of Mooney at first slip and jags up off the ground and bounces over Mooney’s head to run away for four. There’s an appeal for LBW late in the over, but the umpire isn’t interested and Brown isn’t really too keen either, so they decide not to review.
1st over: Bangladesh 4-0 (Farzana 4, Jhelik 0)
Megan Schutt takes the new ball for Australia, as she so often does. Farzana gets off to a great start, with Farzana guiding the ball around the corner and a misfield from Darcie Brown at deep fine leg offers up the first boundary of the match. Schutt fights back with five consecutive dot balls, with Farzana playing a strong front foot defence, staying cautious and watchful in this first over.
The teams are on the field now for the anthem after that always impressive flag unfurling. Not long now until the first ball is bowled!
Don’t forget, you can send me an email with your thoughts about the game, predictions for the tournament or something completely random – I’m open to hearing whatever you want to chat about! The email link is at the top of the page.
News from the ground is that the weather is looking perfect. It’s hot out there – around 32 degrees at the moment. It looks unlikely that the rain that crushed Pakistan’s hopes in Colombo yesterday will travel up north to Visakhapatnam to put a dampener on this game.
Bangladesh XI
1. Rubya Haider Jhelik
2. Farzana Hoque
3. Sharmin Akhter
4. Nigar Sultana Joty (c) (wk)
5. Sobhana Mostary
6. Shorna Akter
7. Fahima Khatun
8. Rabeya Khan
9. Ritu Moni
10. Nishita Akter Nishi
11. Fariha Islam Trisna
Australia XI
1. Alyssa Healy (c) (wk)
2. Phoebe Litchfield
3. Ellyse Perry
4. Beth Mooney
5. Annabel Sutherland
6. Ash Gardner
7. Tahlia McGrath
8. Georgia Wareham
9. Alana King
10. Megan Schutt
11. Darcie Brown
Bangladesh wins the toss and elects to bat
Nigar Sultana wins the toss for Bangladesh and decides that pitch looks perfect for batting. She’s confident that her team can put on a good total and defend it.
And Bangladesh’s close call against England is worth reviewing before this match begins as well.
If you want a reminder about Australia’s record run chase to secure the win over India, we’ve got that match report for you as well.
While we’re waiting for the toss, why not catch up on last night’s excitement? Unfortunately literal rain rained on the parade of Pakistan, who came within a whisper of their first ever ODI victory over England. If you missed the action, we’ve got you covered with this match report from Raf Nicholson.
Preamble
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Megan Maurice
Hello and welcome to match 17 of the Women’s Cricket World Cup! Today we’ve got the undefeated Australia taking on Bangladesh, who are hunting for their second win of the tournament.
It has been a fascinating World Cup so far – while Australia indeed are yet to lose a match, they have looked shaky at times. Their batting against Pakistan was far from its best, while against India they struggled to find the answers during their bowling innings. Both times they were able to get over the line, but opposition teams will be watching closely to note these vulnerabilities and make plans to exploit them.
Bangladesh’s sole win of the tournament so far came against Pakistan – a decisive, seven-wicket win with strong contributions across the bowling attack. However, they also put on very good showings against South Africa, which came down to the final over, and England, who looked in trouble at 5/78 chasing Bangladesh’s 178. While neither of those games finished with a win, they will have offered the team plenty of confidence that they have the ability to match it with some of the world’s best teams.
If Bangladesh can bring that form into this match, we might be in for another exciting finish. While Australia are very much the favourites here, let’s not write off the underdogs. There’s plenty to discuss, so let’s get into it!
